Bob Costas narrates the evolution of statistics in Behind the Seams: The Stat Story

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Source: Major League Baseball

This documentary explores some of the arguments refuting the influence of statistics in baseball. As Tommy Lasorda said. "Today, they manage with statistics. You can't do it. Statistics are lies. Believe me, they're lies."

Documentary from MLB Productions: Behind the Seams: The Stat Story

From awarding a player a base hit to the rise of sabermetrics, the evolution of statistics in Major League Baseball is the focus of Behind the Seams: The Stat Story, a special produced for MLB Network by MLB Productions, premiering Sunday, September 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Behind the Seams: The Stat Story will feature statisticians and experts, including Elias Sports Bureau's Steve Hirdt, MLB's official historian John Thorn, Baseball-Reference.com's Sean Forman, Sports Illustrated's Joe Sheehan, Fangraphs.com contributor Jonah Keri, New York Times writer Alan Schwarz, Rotisserie League Baseball creator Dan Okrent and SB Nation's Rob Neyer discussing the history of baseball statistics, highlighted by the formation of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

The hour-long documentary will feature current general managers, managers and players, including Sandy Alderson, Billy Beane, Tony La Russa and Jered Weaver explaining how in-depth statistical research have influenced their decisions in baseball today and the growth of fantasy baseball, and Hall of Famers Lou Brock, Tony Gwynn, Tommy Lasorda and Earl Weaver describe the advantages and disadvantages to using statistics during games. Plus, author Bill James, the Boston Red Sox senior adviser on baseball operations, tells his story from being a security guard in Kansas to the leading pioneer of a statistical revolution that culminated with the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez winning the 2010 A.L. Cy Young Award with a 13-12 record.

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